Trick or Treat Funding Bill 090926 AC (1)

SECTION 1. TITLE.

This Act may be referred to as the "Bootacular Baltimore Funding Bill".

SECTION 2. DEFINITIONS.

(a) SGA - The term “SGA” shall refer to the Student Government Association of The Johns Hopkins University.

(b) JHU, Hopkins - The terms “JHU” and “Hopkins” shall refer to the Johns Hopkins University.

(c) CARE - The term "CARE" shall refer to the student-run organization under the Center for Social Concern committed to encouraging community exploration in safe and fun ways.

(d) CSC - The term “CSC” shall refer to the Center for Social Concern of The Johns Hopkins University.

SECTION 3. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.

Findings: Currently, JHU lacks a student-run Trick-or-Treating event that engages the broader Baltimore community. While faculty have hosted similar activities on campus for the past few years, these events often go unnoticed and receive low engagement. There is demonstrated interest in creating opportunities for students to engage with each other and the local Baltimore community during the fall season.

Purpose: The purpose of this bill is to fund "Bootacular Baltimore," a collaborative event between SGA's Programming Council, CARE, and CSC designed to facilitate meaningful student engagement with each other and the Baltimore community through a structured Trick-or-Treating experience.

Additional Information: The event is a revamped version of Trick-or-Treating designed to create meaningful connections between JHU students and Baltimore's broader community. This student-run partnership between LEED (through the Programming Council) and the CSC (through CARE, an established RSO) addresses a gap in JHU's fall programming. The multi-part event, spanning 2 to 3 hours in the evening, is limited to 150 students organized into 10 groups of 10 to 15 people each. In the first hour, students arrive to check in, receive stickers from all affiliated organizations (SGA, CARE, CSC, and LEED), and decorate costume-related items like headbands and masks at outdoor tables. This creates immediate engagement and fosters a sense of belonging from the start so that students can form these large groups. In the second hour, student groups are handed paper cards to track attendance and small organza bags to collect candy as they embark on the Bootacular Community Walk, a specially designed trick-or-treating route through ~10 predefined community organizations that partner with the CSC. CARE volunteers and Programming Council members, trained by CSC faculty on safety and route mapping, will guide groups through the route using maps and flashlights. At each stop, a community organization representative speaks for 2-4 minutes about their mission and role in Baltimore, followed by a stamp on the paper card and candy from community partners. To incentivize full participation, students who collect all 10 stamps receive a branded tote bag featuring a cute design integrating the themes of the Bootacular Baltimore event & affiliated JHU organizations–the primary recruitment tool and an incentive to ensure that students give attention to all community partners along the route. This also ensures positive relationships between JHU and community organizations in the future. Students also receive a large candy bar of their choice and credit toward the Blue Jay community walk requirement (if they are freshman). This tiered reward system–from initial stickers to cumulative candy at each stop, to the final tote bag and candy bar– drives sustained engagement and creates meaningful connections between students and the Baltimore community.

SECTION 4. FUNDING OF ITEMS

TOTAL $2,785.05

(a) The total amount funded by SGA would be $2,287.50

(b) The total amount funded by Programming Council would be $497.55

SECTION 5. SEVERABILITY.

Should any provision of this Act, an amendment made by this Act, or the application of such provision or amendment to any person or circumstance be held to be unconstitutional or, the remainder of this Act, the amendments made by this Act, and the application of such provision or amendment to any person or circumstances shall not be affected thereby.

SECTION 6. ACTION ITEMS.

To be done by Aishani Chatterjee before October 1st: Confirm partnerships with all 10 community organizations and finalize route mapping with CARE and Center for Social Concern faculty.

(a) To be done by Aishani Chatterjee before October 10th: Confirm that the Programming Council has ordered all necessary supplies including tote bags, candy, decorative items, and printing materials; arrange table delivery/pickup.

(b) To be done by Aishani Chatterjee before October 15th: Finalize community organization speeches, conduct safety training with CARE volunteers, and complete advertising campaigns (social media, flyers, Breezeway table, etc.).

(c) To be done by Aishani Chatterjee before October 23rd: Confirm final student registration numbers, organize volunteer assignments, prepare check-in materials and event logistics.

THE BILL IS HEREBY ADOPTED/LOST BY A VOTE OF X TO X WITH X ABSTENTIONS.

UPON PASSAGE, WE HAVE HEREUNTO SET OUR HANDS AND CAUSED THE SEAL OF THE SENATE TO BE AFFIXED TO THIS BILL INDICATING THE SENATE’S ASSENT AND THUS OFFICIALLY DESIGNATED THE BILL’S ADOPTION AS LAW.